


The Archduke of Demonic Cultivation

by ThreeCrowsInATrenchcoat



Category: Sanders Sides (Web Series)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Magic, And all that jazz, Blood and Violence, Implied/Referenced Suicide, M/M, Monsters and Demons, Suicide Attempt, Swearing, Team Let Virgil Say Fuck, all characters are sympathetic, and mages and warriors, because apparently i love to write, but no actual major character death, characters presumed dead, depression and PTSD, further warnings given by chapter as needed, like 10+ years slow burn, slow burn intrulogical, some are just dumbasses, super niche AUs, the untamed au, think high fantasy d&d realm
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-25
Updated: 2021-03-11
Packaged: 2021-03-15 19:15:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 8,197
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29688675
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ThreeCrowsInATrenchcoat/pseuds/ThreeCrowsInATrenchcoat
Summary: Once, there were three kingdoms on the brink of war.It wasn’t always like this, of course. Remus remembers a time when the three kingdoms lived in harmony; when they trained each other's students and came to each other’s aid and worked together to keep each other’s kingdoms safe.Remus also remembers the summer when everything changed. How could he not remember that summer?It was the same summer he met Logan Centauri.(or: Remus hasn't seen Logan in over 10 years. It's not for lack of wanting, but even Remus knows better than to grab for something he can't have. It's better this way. He has Janus. And he has a life now, too, far away from all the bullshit politics of the aristocracy that had nearly taken everything away from him. It's taken him a long time to get to this point, but he can freely admit that he's content now.So why, after Little Apple spooked and took off down the road, is it Logan Centauri who is leading her back? Thanks, Universe.)
Relationships: Dark Creativity | Remus "The Duke" Sanders/Logic | Logan Sanders
Comments: 13
Kudos: 13





	1. Turning Point, Remus

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! I got an idea in my brain and I'm going to follow it as far as it will take me. This story is heavily inspired by The Untamed (which you should totally watch if you like Chinese dramas with fantasy elements and also gay stuff) but you don't need to have seen/read it to enjoy this story. 
> 
> There will be no regular upload schedule, but I will post new chapters as soon as they're written. 
> 
> Chapter warnings include: blood and violence, heights (and falling from them). See the end notes for more details.

It was Roman’s shout of pain that snapped Remus back to himself. 

The castle courtyard below was ablaze, lit by flashes of magic and the glint of steel in the early morning sun. The armies fought, a writhing mass jammed into the narrow confines of the walls of Verdant Keep, the dead smashed beneath their feet. 

They weren’t even fighting the monsters Remus had summoned anymore. Now they were mostly just fighting each other.

“Remus!” Roman’s voice tore through the tumult like an arrow through the Anjarian mist. He was battling his way through the horde to reach where Remus stood atop the castle battlements. His bright scarlet uniform hid the bloodstains, but his sword shone slick with demon blood and his eyes blazed with an unrestrained hatred that cut Remus to his very soul.

_ He could stop this. _

A shout rose up from another part of the battlefield: “There! He has the Amulet!” All eyes turned upward, and Remus grit his teeth.

He doesn’t have the Amulet. He’d destroyed it. 

But only Logan knew that.

The battle below shifted, given a new direction, a renewed determination. The courtyard cleared of soldiers- of the living soldiers, that is- and Remus’ stomach lurched at the sight of the once-lush garden courtyard now slick with blood and bodies. Only some of the lingering monsters followed the fray. The rest were occupied by the free meals laid out before them. Remus turned away. 

_ He should stop this. _

Remus scrambled up the tight circular stairway that led further up the towers of Verdant Keep. He could feel the press of the soldiers behind him, more of a mob by this point, as they clamored up onto the castle battlements in pursuit of an item that kings would go to war over. An item that had already caused so much death. And an item he didn’t have. 

The light of the rising sun nearly blinded him as he burst through the rickety wooden door. The wind was fierce, buffeting his weary body, threatening to hurl him off the top of this tower. Maybe if he was lucky, the wind would carry him over the edge of the cliff that guarded the rear flank of the Empire’s stronghold. 

_ It would stop this.  _

He took a step toward the tower edge. And then there was a hand grasping his forearm, and all breath left his body. 

It was Logan. His elegant white and blue robes were stained by the crimson that seeped from the gash across his chest. His eyes still glowed that deep blue color, same color as his magic, but it was dim. His power was running dry. He could be dead soon. Like Virgil. Like Janus. Like all the other nameless bodies down there, who had only come to fight because their leaders told them to. Because Remus had given them reason to.

“I can stop this.” The words tore themselves from his throat before he could stop them. He couldn’t meet Logan’s eyes, but he felt the hand around his arm tighten. 

“Remus,” Logan said. No one had ever said his name the way Logan said it. Like it was something precious, to be said with care. Even now, after everything, Logan still said his name with such reverence. 

And for a moment, Remus considered staying. 

Then the tower door was splintered off its hinges by a crackling burst of red magic, and there was Roman, his sword drawn and his face alight with a fury that blazed hotter than the sun.

_ I have to stop this. _

Roman charged toward him, and Logan turned. That deep blue magic swirled across his skin and coalesced in his palms, and- no. Remus would not watch the last two people he loves in this world fight each other. Not for him.

Remus grabbed Logan and shoved him to the side. He could feel Logan’s shock, and he hoped that out of everything he had done, so many unforgivable sins he had committed, that Logan might find it in his heart to forgive him for this one. 

Then Roman’s blade plunged into his abdomen, and it  _ burned. _ Remus had never taken a blow from his brother’s sword before, but the fiery magic infused in the steel felt familiar as it spread through his veins, all flame and passion and ferocity. It felt like  _ Roman. _

He staggered backwards, sliding off the blade, and his legs hit the low stone wall that marked the tower edge. Roman was staring at him in horror, like he couldn’t believe what he had just done. Remus forced his face into an expression that could almost be considered peaceful. 

“I’m sorry,” he whispered. The  _ for everything _ remained unsaid. Then his body pitched backwards as gravity upset his precarious position, and dragged him down.

The last thing he saw was Logan reaching out, too late but driven by desperation nonetheless, his mouth open and Remus’ name on his tongue. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter warnings: 
> 
> -lots of fighting; basically there's a war going on and there's blood and violence everywhere. None of it is particularly graphic.  
> -Remus throws himself off of a high tower with every intention of killing himself. It doesn't take, but you won't see that yet this chapter. 
> 
> Come find me on tumblr at @threecrowsinatrenchcoat.


	2. Now, Remus

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No additional chapter warnings.

With a sigh, Remus pushed back the brim of his straw hat, and wiped away the beads of sweat gathering on his brow. He really wished Janus would hurry the fuck up, because he was getting sick of standing out here with an antsy donkey and a broken cart and the harsh summer sun.

Not that it would be a more tolerable temperature inside the shop, not when this summer was such an unusually hot and dry one even by Okkaven standards. At least in there, though, the sun couldn’t touch him. Couldn’t put its greedy little hands on his skin and drag out every last bit of moisture from his body. But Janus had refused to let him inside, something about Remus being bad ar bargaining or whatever. Fuckin’ fine. 

“It’s fine, Apple,” Remus said, patting the donkey’s side affectionately. “Jannie’ll be done soon, then we’ll go deal with your hoof.”

Little Apple nickered in response. It sounded like a particularly unenthused sound. Remus rolled his eyes at her.

“Yeah, yeah, I know you hate it, but sometimes you gotta go see a doctor. Janus is a person doctor and you, well. You’re not exactly a  _ person.” _

Apple snorted at him, so he stuck his tongue out at her. He had his mask up though, the dark blue scarf he kept pulled up over the lower half of his face, so it was wholly ineffective. Someone walking by gave him an odd look anyway; probably because he was talking to a donkey. It could have been the mask too, though. People didn’t like the mask. But they were too close to Erestra for Remus to trust showing his face. Even now, after so much time. 

Not that Remus was particularly recognizable these days. He had a mustache now, after all!

A sudden cacophony of metal on metal startled him out of his thoughts with a yelp; one shop over, someone had opened their back door and tossed out a pile of rusty armor and other scrap metals without so much as a warning. The sound hadn’t just startled  _ him- _ a moment later, the donkey he’d been leaning against took off down the road, braying like a pack of foghorns, leaving Remus to topple unceremoniously to the dry, dusty ground. 

Fan-fucking-tastic. 

Remus shoved himself to his feet and roughly brushed dirt from his ragged, mis-matched clothes. He hoped briefly that Janus hadn’t seen  _ any _ of that, before he turned to begin chasing down that damned jackass he loved so much. 

He wasn’t really concerned. She never strayed to far. She knew he and Janus were the ones with the apples. He squinted against the glare of the sun, where clouds of dust still hung in the air, kicked up by the frantic hooves of a fat donkey. 

Well, at least she hadn’t trampled anybody. That might have been more trouble than entertainment, honestly. Remus started down the road, but paused when the dark shadow of a figure formed within the dust cloud. 

_ Oh nice, _ Remus thought as the shape of a donkey appeared behind the approaching figure.  _ Someone’s bringing her back for me. _ And then, as the figure stepped out of the settling dust cloud, all the air left Remus’ lungs.

No.

No way. 

There was just… no way.

Apple must have kicked him in the head or something when she ran off, because that was the only explanation for why he was standing in the middle of his ramshackle, shithole town at the fringes of Okkaven, watching Logan Fucking Centauri leading a donkey down the road.

What the fuck even was he supposed to do?

Logan approached the cart, the very same cart Remus was heavily considering hiding behind. He was dressed in Centauri family colors just like Remus remembered, the white and blue robes a stark contrast to the dusty old town. His hair was longer than Remus remembered, long enough to curl at the base of his neck and flop over his ears, and his face certainly showed evidence of the years’ toll… but his eyes. His eyes held him rooted to the spot. They were sharp, observant, even calculating- but underneath it all, Remus could still see that soft spark of kindness that had been the first thing he fell in love with all those years ago.

Remus was suddenly  _ very _ glad he was wearing his mask when Logan walked right up to him and he realized he had not hidden behind the cart or fled in a panic like he’d meant to. 

“Uh…” he said, because apparently his words had run off along with his common sense. Logan cleared his throat, and held out Apple’s lead.

“I presume this animal belongs to you?”

Gods, his voice. It was exactly how Remus remembered, deep and smooth like melted chocolate. He shook himself a little, trying to pull himself together.

“Uh, yeah,” Remus managed, still missing the mark a bit on ‘normal, functioning human person.’ He coughed, then said in a voice he tried very hard to make sound different from his real one, “Yeah, sorry. There was a noise and she spooked. Thanks.”

“Of course,” Logan said, slowly. He was giving Remus an odd look, so Remus hastily turned away to busy himself with hitching Apple back up to the busted cart, at least so she couldn’t take off again. At least then if Logan murdered Remus right here and now, Janus would still have the damn donkey to keep him company. 

“I don’t think you’re going to get very far,” Logan said, his eyes on where the cart sat propped up on a wooden crate, one wheel missing. His tone was dry, almost disinterested, but there was a quirk to his mouth that Remus knew meant he was amused. Remus laughed.

“Yeah, uh. We hit a rock or somethin’ coming in. Jan- uh. My partner’s inside getting the wheel repaired.”

Logan’s eyes darted over to the carpenter’s shop they were standing in front of, then back to Remus.

“Partner?” he asked.

“Oh, uh. Business partner,” Remus said hastily. He didn’t know why it was so important that Logan didn’t misunderstand. He clearly didn’t recognize him, so. It didn’t matter at all, right? “We like. Deliver shit for people. Haul supplies between towns, stuff like that.”

“Oh.”

Remus shuffled awkwardly. He’d imagined this reunion countless times over the last ten years and honestly? This scenario had not once crossed his mind. 

“So-” he started.  _ How have you been? Why are you here? Do you still hate me?  _ Questions swirled in his brain, and he really had no idea what he was actually going to say, what words would actually manage to leap out of the whirlwind that was his brain. Logan stood there looking at him, all patience and gentle encouragement hidden behind his stern face and gods above, Remus just wanted to kiss him right then and there.

And then a building burst into flames. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Come find me on tumblr at @threecrowsinatrenchcoat.


	3. Then, Remus

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> No additional chapter warnings.

If you really thought about it, this whole thing was actually Roman’s fault for thinking Remus could be trusted to keep track of seven pieces of paper. Unfortunately, Roman didn’t seem to agree with that sentiment. 

“Are you serious? Remus, you had one goddamn job to do,” Roman snapped. “We’re going to be in charge of an entire kingdom one day, and you couldn’t even hold onto an invitation?”

Remus gave a half-hearted shrug. “I don’t know what to tell ya, bro,” he responded, before turning to the guard who had stopped them at the Lyceum gates. “But it’s cool, right? Like, I mean, it’s obviously us. Don’t you guys have some kind of guest list or something?”

The guard- young guy, probably not much older than he and Roman, dressed in the smart white and blue of the Centauri family- gave him a look of discomfort.

“I’m sorry sir, but my orders were very clear. Only guests bearing an invitation are permitted to enter the grounds.”

Roman turned full-body to glare at Remus. He was wearing his red and white Aurelian family formalwear- they both were, but Roman wore it better- so his glare looked particularly fierce.

“Well? You had them in Erestra, didn’t you?” Remus shrugged again. “So where are they?”

“Probably still at the inn,” Remus sighed. He looked to the guard again. “Hey, can’t you like, go get your boss or something? The oldest son’s met my brother before, he can prove we’re us, if that’s what you’re worried about.”

“Remus, you can’t just ask to speak to the manager like that, it’s-”

But Remus didn’t get to hear what sort of social faux pas he’d committed this time, because the soft gasps and murmurings of the rest of their accompanying party drew Roman’s attention behind them. Remus turned, too, and immediately felt all the air leave his lungs. 

A young man, couldn’t be older than 18 like Roman and Remus, stalked up the wooded path toward the gates of the Silver Lyceum, where the Aurelian family entourage was gathered. His long robes flowed graceful behind him, deep indigo with intricate black embroidery- which on most people would make them look like a tryhard, but on this guy, just… worked. There were others following behind him, and Remus only barely registered the still body, covered by a too-thin white sheet, laying on the litter they carried. His eyes were fixed on the young man. 

“Prince Centauri,” the annoying gate guard said as the group approached, dipping into a hasty bow.

“Patton?” Remus asked Roman. Quietly, though judging from how the Centauri kid’s eyes darted over to the two of them, not quietly enough. Roman shook his head. Cool. Logan, then. Probably.

Logan ignored both the brothers and their accompanying guardsmen, stepping past them all to approach the gate. The guard stepped aside; but before Logan and his men could make their way inside- without so much as a hello, how rude- Remus darted forward to block their way.

“Hey, hi, maybe you can help us Lo- er. _Prince_ Centauri.” Behind Logan, Roman was frantically miming _stop it._ Or _kill him,_ the gesture really was quite vague, so Remus did neither. “See, we’ve come all this way from Anjaria. Remus Aurelian, hello, nice to meet you. That’s my brother, Roman.”

The Centauri prince gave them each the barest of nods, but when he spoke, it wasn’t to either of them. Instead, he looked to his men.

“Continue on. My brother knows to expect you.”

Remus ducked out of the way as the Centauri guardsmen and their payload passed into Lyceum grounds. Logan looked to him again, silently. 

“Er.” Roman stepped up to stand at Remus’ shoulder, and gave a very slight bow of his own. “Roman Aurelian. Prince Centauri, I must ask that you excuse my brother’s abysmal manners.”

Remus scoffed at that, and briefly considered pointing out that honestly, prince or no prince, this kid was the rudest one here. He didn’t though, because that would probably be “abysmal manners” or whatever. 

“Anyway,” he said instead. “As I’m sure you can guess, we’re here for the Solstice Summit. But your ever diligent guard here simply refuses to let us in.”

“They don’t have an invitation,” the guard said hastily. “My orders are very clear, your Highness-”

“So I lost a few pieces of paper,” Remus griped. He was starting to get tired of all this. “It’s not like we aren’t still Roman and Remus _Aurelian._ We RSVP’d and everything, you knew we were coming.”

Logan fixed his eyes on Remus. His lovely dark eyes, with just a faint hint of blue to them, brought out by the dappled sunlight that broke through the forest canopy to bathe his face in soft light and-

“No invitation, no entry.”

Remus’ gay train of through came grinding to a very abrupt halt.

“Are you fucking serious-” he bit out. He didn’t realize he’d taken a step forward until Roman’s hand on his shoulder yanked him back.

“Of course. We understand-” Roman started, but Remus cut him off.

“No? No we don’t?” Roman gave him a warning look, but Remus turned his full attention on Logan. “We came all this way. Look at my guys. They’re fuckin’ tired. If it’s about making sure we’re not a bunch of randos who murdered the real Roman and Remus and stole their clothes-”

“Remus-” Roman hissed, but Remus ignored him.

“-then fine, that’s valid. I mean, Roman is _literally_ wearing our father’s signet ring, but whatever. But like, your brother’s _met_ my brother, is it really that hard to grab him for two seconds?” 

Logan’s face didn’t change in the slightest. It remained completely unreadable through the entirety of Remus’ frustrated rant, his eyes resting on Remus through every word. Then Remus fell silent and just glared, and for a few tense moments, nobody said anything. 

Then, speaking slowly and precisely, the way one might when explaining a complicated topic to a child, Logan replied, “No invitation, no entry.”

Roman had to physically hold Remus back, because he had every intention of ramming his fist into that- admittedly very handsome- face. Before he could shake Roman off to commit an act of violence he’d probably regret later, Logan turned away and gestured for the guard to step through the gate. Then he stepped through himself, and with a slight wave of his hand and a faint glimmer or deep blue magical energy, the gate slammed shut. 

Remus could have screamed. He didn’t, but it was a near thing as Logan Centauri disappeared deeper down the path toward the Lyceum itself. Instead he turned to Roman.

 _“Fuck_ that guy.”

“Remus, you are just the absolute worst at diplomacy, you know that?”

“I’m perfectly capable at being diplomatic, that guy was just an asshole. Right guys?” Remus turned to their guardsmen, and all five of them awkwardly looked away. “Wow, you all wound me.”

Roman grabbed him and spun him around so they were facing each other again. “So you’re going back to Erestra then, yes? While we rest here?”

“Wait, what? Ro, that’s like. Miles away.”

“Yeah, sure is,” Roman smirked at him. “Better get moving.”

_“Rooooooo.”_

Roman spun him around so he was facing back the way they’d come, and gave him a little shove.

“You made this mess,” he said. “You clean it up.”

Remus sighed. “Alright, fine. But if I get assassinated on the way back, I’ll haunt you forever.” And he started down the path back to Erestra City.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Come find me on tumblr at @threecrowsinatrenchcoat.


	4. Now, Remus

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chapter warnings include fire, buildings on fire, and running into said buildings (because let's be honest, Logan and Remus are the same breed of reckless of idiot.)

Remus let out a yelp of surprise as he turned in the direction of the town’s only inn, a two-story standalone building just down the road which, up until about five seconds ago, had definitely  _ not _ been engulfed in a raging inferno. The flames were fierce, clawing at the crumbling wood of the old building, tearing it apart like a starving carnivore would ravage a carcass. 

Because that’s exactly what it was. 

“Fuck, a fire demon,” Remus snarled, before he could remember who he was standing next to. But Logan was already moving toward the towering flames and, well. What else could Remus do but follow? 

Logan strode rapidly down the road toward the burning building. There were people gathering, some drawn by the commotion, and others that most likely had just managed to escape the building. Logan moved past them, though, right up to the doorway; nobody stopped him, probably because he was so obviously a Centauri mage (who wore robes like that anymore, honestly?) Remus ran after him, shouldering past the few half-hearted attempts to stop him.

The fire raged all through the lobby. The tables and chairs in the sitting area were well on their way to being reduced to ash, as were the walls and stairs that led up to the second floor. Remus glanced around, pulling his mask more securely over his face as the scent of smoke gathered close. There was nobody here on the ground floor, except for-

“Logan!” Remus shouted, forgetting until too late that Logan hadn’t actually introduced himself. Logan paused at the base of the stairs, and glanced toward him. “Where the fuck are you going? This place is going to collapse any moment.”

“There are people upstairs,” Logan answered, quiet voice just managing to carry over the roaring flames. Then he was gone, a burst of indigo-hued magic lifting him up and over the banister. 

“For fuck’s sake-” Remus muttered. The stairs wouldn’t hold him, that much he knew. Already they were caving inward in places, structural integrity lost in the face of a half-starved fire demon.

The fire demon. This, Remus could do. He didn’t have fancy magic like Logan did, not anymore, but demons? He knew demons. 

Remus glanced up to make sure Logan had disappeared deeper into the second floor, before moving to a spot near the middle of the lobby relatively devoid of crackling flame. He bit his thumb, hard enough to make the blood flow. And then he knelt on the ground to draw a talisman he hadn’t drawn in a long time.

The symbol pulsed as he drew the last stroke, and immediately he felt the demon’s rage, its ravenous hunger as it tore relentlessly at the first meal it’s had in… so long. Remus stumbled slightly as the connection established, a web of magical threads that tied him to the demon; on the floor, wisps of flame flowed toward the symbol he had drawn, following the lines of his blood until the entirety of the symbol was lit with fire. 

“Alright, you bastard,” Remus growled. He no longer felt the heat of the surrounding flame. “Show me where you are. I’m sending you back.”

The demon resisted, pulling against the magic strings that bound them together. But Remus held steady. The demonic power in his own blood came from something far more ancient and powerful. He reached inward, using that power, and tugged at the web until he found a string that pulled at his heart. A light smirk touched his lips.

“Found you.”

He tugged at the string, mentally tracing the route, and the smirk faded into a frown. It wasn’t just his own power entwined within this fire demon. There was something else tangled up in the strings. Something that felt an awful lot like- 

His concentration broke as a section of the ceiling above him crumbled away. Remus dove to the side, and just narrowly avoided getting buried beneath a pile of flaming debris. The connection severed, but that was ok. He knew where to find the demon’s heart. Now he just needed Logan to destroy it. 

Speaking of Logan, where the hell was he? Remus skirted around the chunks of ceiling in his way, and returned to the stairs. There was even less of a chance that he could get up to the second floor without the steps giving out underneath him, but he was moments away from trying it anyway when, with another burst of indigo magic, Logan reappeared near the entrance. Remus turned toward him, relief blossoming in his chest.

Logan held two young children in his arms, neither much older than three or four. Then there was another burst of magical energy- wait, that looked more purple than blue?- and two more figured appeared beside Logan. A teen, supporting an older woman who stumbled slightly as the teleportation spell dumped them in their new location. Probably the kid who cast the spell then, Remus noted, vaguely impressed. Then Logan caught his eye.

“The heart is this way,” Remus shouted over the roar of the flames. He gestured toward a room beyond the rubble that had tried to crush him. Logan looked to the teen and said a few words- Remus couldn’t make out what- before passing the two terrified kids over to him. They all moved to the exist, but Logan crossed the lobby to join Remus. 

“In here,” Remus said, gesturing again. He led Logan into the next room, and stopped short as the intense heat hit him like a wall. 

The entire room was a sea of flame. It filled the space, floor to ceiling, and spilled out through the holes it had eaten through the structure of the building. Around them, the wood creaked and groaned- it wasn’t going to stay standing much longer. Remus peered into the blaze.

“There,” he exclaimed, pointing. A metal box sat amid the blazing ruins of what had probably been a desk or table. It was tipped on its side, the lid flung some distance away. Beside it sat an almost perfectly round sphere of shining obsidian.

Logan strode forward. His deep blue magic rippled down his arms and spread out before him, pushing the flames away as he moved. Remus didn’t need to be connected to the fire demon to sense its panic as Logan approached its heart. The flames blazed hotter and hotter, tearing at Logan’s magic with intensity.

But then, Logan touched the sphere. His magic flowed into it, all at once, like how a river tears through a failing dam, and the obsidian sphere shattered. 

The flames sputtered out immediately. All of them did, leaving Remus and Logan standing amid a ruin of ash and debris. Remus gave Logan a wide grin. It was entirely obscured by his mask, but it was the thought that counted, right?

“Hell yeah, that was badass!”

Logan turned to look at him. The hem of his robes were dark with ash, but somehow he remained otherwise spotless. His expression was unreadable. 

“C’mon, let’s get out of here,” Remus said after a beat. “Shit could still come down on us, and not in the fun way.”

Logan wordlessly followed him back through the lobby and out into the road, where it seemed that most of the town had gathered. 

“Prince Centauri!” a man exclaimed, running up to Logan as the two of them left the building. Remus ducked behind Logan, but the man wasn’t paying him much heed anyway. “You’ve saved us! Please accept our gratitude.”

“No need,” Logan said. He sounded uncomfortable, though maybe just to Remus, who knew how much Logan hated talking to people he didn’t know. Remus sighed, and stepped up to Logan’s shoulder. 

“What he means,” he said, ignoring the startled look the man gave him. “Is you’re welcome, but it’s just what any good royal citizen would do.” He paused. A thought hit him. “Say, you wouldn’t happen to be the owner of this establishment, would you?”

“I am,” the man sighed. “Or, was, I suppose.”

“Sorry man. This sucks. Do you have any idea why there was a metal box with the heart of a fire demon in your inn? They don’t usually make good guests. What with all the fire, and all.”

“That box was delivered with the rest of the mail this morning,” the man said. He didn’t seem even slightly amused by Remus’ fantastic joke. “It wasn’t addressed, either to or from.”

Remus glanced at Logan, who glanced back at him. He turned back to the man.

“Maybe don’t open suspicious packages anymore,” he suggested. 

If the man said anything in reply, Remus didn’t hear it. Logan was already walking away, moving through the gathered onlookers with purpose. Remus scrambled to follow after.

But as he did, someone grabbed him and dragged him back into the crowd. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Come find me on tumblr at @threecrowsinatrenchcoat.


	5. Then, Remus

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chapter warning for alcohol mentions.

The woods were dark by the time Remus made it back to the Lyceum gates, the Summit invitation scrolls partially crumpled by his grip because dammit if he’s losing these fuckers again. 

If he was being completely honest, Remus really didn’t want to go back to the Lyceum at all. The Centauri family were known for being strict rule-followers, sure, but this was fucking excessive. If they were going to be such sticklers over a few pieces of paper, then Remus had a sneaking suspicion they weren’t going to like him just on principle. 

But Roman would kill him if he didn’t go back, and then their father would kill him too, and then the Aurelian family would be down an heir, and nobody wanted that.

So Remus went back. And with a bottle of Erestra’s famous wine, the kind everyone ranted and raved about but they couldn’t seem to get in Anjaria, clenched in his other hand, at least the trip wasn’t a total loss. 

Remus made his way up the path, but slowed to a halt when the gates came into view. There was no sign of Roman and his guardsmen. They had been setting up a small camp a little way off the path when he left, but now, the woods were empty. Frowning, Remus approached the gate.

“Hey, anyone home?” he called. The woods on the other side of the tall, wrought iron fence were still and silent. He shook the gate with his foot. Or tried to, at least- his foot stopped a few millimeters away from the gate itself, and a pale blue light rippled across the transparent force wall before fading. 

“Fuckin’ mages,” Remus muttered to himself. “No regard for people passing through in the night. In Ashva Serin, we welcome travelers. Is it so hard?”

The magically-reinforced gate, being an inanimate object, didn’t reply. Remus figured that was probably a good thing. 

“Alright,” he sighed. “We’ll do this the hard way, then.”

Remus stepped back from the gate and carefully tucked both the invitations and the bottle of wine into one of the many pouches that hung off his belt. Because he sure as fuck wouldn’t be losing either. Then, he held out his left hand and called for his weapon. The morningstar appeared in a swirl of green magic, a familiar weight in his hand as it materialized out of the pocket dimension it resided in. He swung it once, lifted the spiked head to plant a kiss on the cool metal, then with both hands, bashed it into the force wall.

The wall resisted. It pulsed blue where his weapon struck. He pulled back and struck again; this time, he threw a dispel charge into the strike. Crackling green energy arced across the morningstar as he invoked the magic infused into the weapon itself. And the wall shattered.

“‘Atta girl.” Remus planted another kiss atop his weapon, and then sent it back to its pocket dimension. Without the force wall to seal it, the gate fell open. 

“I’m sure they won’t mind, right?” Remus asked. Once again, the gate did not respond. He shrugged. “I’m just looking for my brother. It’ll be fine.”

He stepped through.

The woods beyond the fence were just as still and quiet, but with a thin layer of mist that hung in the air. Remus stuck to the path until, only a short while later, he caught a glimpse of white through the thinning trees. He had never seen the Lyceum before; and while Remus was not exactly one to give a shit about architecture, even he could admit, as he reached the treeline, that the Silver Lyceum was beautiful.

Beneath the full moon, the white marble outer walls seemed to glow silver. The largest building- the library and academy itself, most likely- sat atop a stepped platform overlooking the auxiliary buildings are courtyards. Though he couldn’t see much beyond the outer wall, Remus could make out the top halves of the massive colonnade encasing the structure of the library. The entablature was intricately carved, a design that more than likely had some sort of historic or arcane meaning to it that Remus didn’t know or care about. But it was certainly pretty. 

The main entrance didn’t have a gate, but there were two guards posted. Remus ducked into the shadows and moved along the outer wall until he was around the corner. Really, he had no interest in dealing with any more Centauri guards. He’d just pop in, check if Roman was here, and pop out. 

The other wall had no force wall enchantments, thank fuck. The marble was cold and smooth, but Remus was stubborn. He hauled himself up the fifteen foot wall and perched there to look out over the Lyceum grounds.

“You’ve broken our wards, and entered without permission.”

Remus almost fell off the wall. Ten feet to his left, where he had not been a moment before, stood Logan Fucking Centauri.

“Gods above,” Remus snapped. “Are you trying to give me a heart attack? How did you even get up here, man?” 

"Our gates are closed to everyone until sunrise,” Logan continued. He was staring intently at Remus. A slight breeze rustled his long, flowing robes. “You have broken three rules.”

“Look, dude. Prince Centauri. Whatever. It’s been a long day. I’m just looking for my brother.”

Logan said nothing. He didn’t move, either. Remus gave him a coy smile, the kind that convinced the kitchen staff back at home to sneak him extra desserts. 

“Hey, tell you what.” He pulled out the bottle of Erestran wine and waved it toward Logan. “If you let me in just to look for Roman, I’ll split this with you. All the way from Erestra!”

Logan’s eyes narrowed. “And now you attempt to bribe me,” he said. “Five rules.”

“Wait, what’s the fifth rule?”

“Alcohol is forbidden at the Silver Lyceum.”

Remus sputtered indignantly. “You’re joking, right?” Logan said nothing. “Man, no fucking way am I going an entire summer without alcohol.” Remus clutched the bottle close to his chest. 

“Alcohol is not healthy for you,” Logan replied. “It clouds the mind and weakens the body. It is to be avoided.” It almost sounded like he was reciting the words rather than just saying them. Remus rolled his eyes. 

“Ok, whatever, I won’t share then. Give me like five minutes inside to look for Roman, then I’ll go sleep out in the woods or whatever.”

Without waiting for a response, Remus stood up; but before he could jump down from the wall, a sharp movement to his left caught his eye. He looked, just as Logan released a bolt of blue magic toward him.

“For fuck’s sake-” Remus bit out as he summoned his morningstar to his free hand and swung. A wave of green magic spread out from the path of that swing, and deflected Logan’s attack off into the woods beyond the outer wall. Logan hurled a second bolt of energy, and Remus deflected that one, too.

“The fuck is your problem-” Remus shouted. In lieu of answering, Logan stepped closer and hurled another bolt. Remus swore under his breath. His weapon needed a few moments to recharge. He turned and leaped off the wall. 

He had to cast a hasty and sloppy gust spell with the hand still clutching the neck of his wine bottle, but it was enough for Remus to clear the gap between the wall and the nearest one-story building. He stumbled, but managed to stay on the rooftop.

Still perched atop the Lyceum outer wall, balanced effortlessly, Logan threw a fourth attack. Now he had room to dodge, so Remus darted to the other edge of the rooftop, and that was quite enough of that, thank you very much. Remus planted his feet and swung his weapon toward Logan. A green echo image of the morningstar continued along the path the real one would have, had Remus actually let go of it to throw at Logan. The magical attack glanced off the hasty shield spell Logan just managed to throw up, but it was a close enough hit that Remus felt smug. 

Logan looked  _ pissed. _ He looked at Remus with barely-contained fury. Which, honestly, in his flowing robes, silhouetted by the full moon, kind of made him look hot. 

“Hey, now. You started it,” Remus pointed out. The words were hardly out of his mouth before Logan vanished from the wall in a cloud of mist. He reappeared a moment later on the rooftop, inches from Remus. 

Remus yelped in surprise- seriously,  _ fuck _ mages- but gathered himself enough to recognize the somatic gesture that meant Logan was casting another, bigger, spell. Fine, whatever. He could go toe to toe with a prissy little wizard, no problem.

The runes carved into the neck of the morningstar lit up bright green as he called on another spell embedded into the weapon. Tendrils of green magic shot out from the runes and coiled around Logan: one around his casting hand, one around his waist, and a third that draped over his shoulders just because. In the next instant, Logan released his spell; but his deep blue magic was immediately absorbed into Remus’ counterspell. The tendrils shattered, taking Logan’s spell along with it. Remus met Logan’s eye with a smirk.

And then Logan pushed him off the rooftop.

No magic, nothing. He just put both hands on Remus’ chest and  _ shoved. _

Remus was so taken aback that he didn’t even register what had happened until he was falling. Both the morningstar and the wine bottle slipped from his grasp; the weapon vanished as it left his hand, but the wine tumbled through the air. Remus landed heavily, on his feet at least, and made a frantic grab for the wine. His fingers barely grazed the glass as the bottle slipped through his grasp. It hit the polished stone walkway and shattered.

Remus almost cried then and there, but he refused to give Logan the satisfaction. Instead he looked up at him and pointed an accusing finger.

“Logan!” he shouted. “You’d better pay me back for that wine!”

Logan didn’t answer. He vanished from the rooftop, again leaving behind a faint cloud of mist, and reappeared on the ground about ten feet away. Remus turned to face him.

But before either of them could do anything, a bright voice cut through the still night air: “Hey, woah there, kiddos, let’s calm down now!” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Come find me on tumblr at @threecrowsinatrenchcoat.
> 
> Fun fact: most of the magic in this story is based off of Dungeons and Dragons magic. Coincidentally, this story is also set in my homebrew D&D world. Because I said "hell no I'm not coming up with an entirely new world for this fic." Because I am lazy lol. I'll post a world map when we get a bit deeper into the story, if anyone is interested.


	6. Now, Remus

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No chapter warnings apply.

“What the fuck do you think you’re doing?” Janus’ voice hissed in his ear. Remus glanced around the alleyway Janus had dragged him into, but the sorcerer himself was nowhere to be seen.

“You’ll have to be more specific, Jannie,” Remus said to the empty air in front of him. “Cause at this moment, I’d say I’m getting kidnapped.”

Something cuffed him across the back of his head with enough force to make him stumble. He whirled around just as Janus’ invisibility spell dropped.

“Rude much?”

Janus didn’t look at him. He instead took a moment to examine his nails, even though he was wearing fucking gloves. Remus glared. He was stubborn, but he knew full well he was nowhere near Janus levels of stubborn, so he didn’t say anything. Finally, Janus looked up at him with an expression of mock surprise, as if only just realizing Remus was standing right there in front of him.

“Oh, I’m sorry. Did I interrupt you when you were about to get murdered by your ex-boyfriend?”

“He’s not- he wasn’t- I wasn’t going to get _murdered._ He didn’t even recognize me.”

Janus fixed him with that stare he reserved specifically for when he thought Remus was being a complete idiot. It was a look he saw often.

“He didn’t!” Remus exclaimed, feeling defensive.

“Yeah, sure,” Janus drawled. “Now look. I’ll go back and get Apple and the cart. Meet me outside of town, and for fuck’s sake, don’t be seen-”

“No, we can’t leave,” Remus said. “Janus, shit like that doesn’t just _happen._ Someone set that fire demon loose _specifically_ here.”

“And no doubt the noble Prince Centauri will unravel this mystery. We owe these people nothing, Remus.” 

“Wait- you don’t understand!” Remus grabbed Janus’ arm before he could cast the illusion that would hide the scaled half of his face. Janus gave him an incredulous look. Remus cut him off before he could speak. “Jan, I was in there. I felt it. That demon was already bound.”

That made Janus pause, a look of confusion passing over his features. “I thought you-”

“I _did,”_ Remus growled. This was not an argument he wanted to rehash. “Back then. I destroyed it.”

“Then how-”

“I don’t know!” Remus released his grip on Janus’ arm and stalked a few paces away. Already he was starting to feal that old anger bubbling up into his chest. “I don’t know. Maybe somebody forged a new one, maybe it’s something else entirely.” He paused, then shook his head helplessly. “But you’re right. We shouldn’t get involved.” 

“We may already be involved,” Janus said, slowly. “Logan knows you’re here, and he knows your connection to the Amulet. He may think-”

“Don’t,” Remus snapped. Janus fell silent. “He’s the only one who believed me. He wouldn’t think that now, not after everything.” A pause. Then, “Besides, he didn’t even recognize me. He has no idea I’m here-”

“Remus.”

That wasn’t Janus speaking. Remus turned sharply toward the mouth of the alley. 

Fuck.

Logan was looking between the two of them; his eyes widened ever so slightly when he looked at Janus.

“Lo-” Remus started, but too slow. He felt Janus’ hand grasp his arm, and suddenly he was dragged backwards through space by Janus’ teleportation spell. They reappeared in a flash of golden light somewhere at the edge of town. 

“Janus what the fu-”

“Didn’t recognize you?” Janus hissed. His yellow left eye still glowed faintly from his magic, and Remus was momentarily reminded of how dangerous a man Janus really was, when crossed. “I should let him kill you. My life would be infinitely simpler that way.”

Remus closed his eyes and forced down his anger. Now wasn’t the time to get snippety with Janus. He took a deep breath, and looked away.

“You’re right, we should go.”

That seemed to mollify Janus. “Of course I’m right,” he huffed. His mismatched eyes softened, and for a moment, it looked like he was going to say something more. He didn’t though. Remus cleared his throat. 

“So, uh. You gonna go get Apple so we can get outta this shithole, or what?”

Janus watched him for another few moments before he nodded. “Yes. Yes, I suppose I shall.”

\- - -

They really didn’t have anywhere in mind to go except “somewhere else.” That’s the way it had always been, all the way back to when Janus had found him broken and dying at the bottom of the cliffs behind Verdant Keep. Maybe even before then. Neither of them had a home anymore. Janus’ had been so irreparably destroyed by the war, and Remus’ was largely the reason he’d ended up at the top of that tower there at the end of everything. It was inevitable that, with nothing left but each other, they would become each other’s homes. 

Remus and Janus traveled as quickly as they could; which with a donkey with a chipped hoof, wasn’t particularly quick.

“I’m sorry,” Remus said to Apple when they stopped for the night. “We’ll get you to a farrier in the next town, promise.”

Little Apple nickered irritably in response. Remus gave her an extra apple in apology. 

“You spoil that beast,” Janus grumbled from where he was crouched on the ground, starting a small campfire. Remus stuck out his tongue in response like the grown-ass adult he was not. 

They built their camp in the cover of a craggy rock formation that rose half-heartedly up from the otherwise uniform hilly grasslands that made up central Okkaven. Janus remained uncharacteristically quiet, watching Remus over the dancing flame of the campfire as they ate their dinner. Remus didn’t really say much either, which made for a pretty awkward meal. 

And then, just when Remus had come to terms with the fact that neither of them were going to bring _it_ up, Janus _did._

“Do you miss him?”

Remus choked on his piece of bread. Janus watched him cough and sputter and didn’t even bother to look concerned, the bastard. 

When he could breathe again, Remus just said, “Miss who?” even though he knew full well who Janus was talking about.

“You know full well who I’m talking about,” Janus replied. Remus sighed deeply. 

“I mean. Sure, I guess?” Janus’ eyes narrowed, so Remus clarified. “I miss a lot about those days. I think I just miss what could have been.”

“You were a war hero. If you hadn’t stood with me and my people after the war-”

“But I did,” Remus cut him off. He threw the crust of his bread into the fire and watched it turn black. “And I wouldn’t go back and change it Janus. Not for anything in the world.” A pause. “They would have turned on me anyway. They hated that I had power.”

Janus looked away, but Remus didn’t need to see his face to know the guilt he still carried with him. Remus opened his mouth to say something- _something_ , though he wasn’t quite sure what- but Janus held up a hand to silence him. Then, abruptly, Janus stood up, and cast a hand across their campfire. The flames died immediately, plunging them both into the darkness of night. 

Remus gave him a questioning look, but Janus just shook his head. He waved his hand again, this time sweeping a wide arc around them. Strings of gold magic spread from his fingers and wound together to form two humanoid shapes- one roughly Janus shaped, and one roughly Remus shaped. Janus uttered a few arcane words under his breath and the illusions sprang to life, becoming as real as the two of them, in appearance alone. And with a final sharp sweep of his hand, Janus sent the illusory doubles to run out toward the east. 

Remus silently backed into the shadows of the rocky outcropping they had camped beneath. Janus could see and hear better than he did, and if he sensed a threat, Remus trusted him. 

The illusions got less than a hundred feet away before they vanished in a crackling burst of blue light. Janus moved in that same instant. He stepped away from their rocky cover, out into the moonlight. Threads of gold swirled around his left arm, weaving themselves into a pulsing ball of energy in his palm. With a flick of his wrist, the energy ball arced up and over the rock, vanishing from view. The open plains around them were briefly illuminated by blue and gold. 

“Won’t even face me, Centauri?” Janus snarled. He glanced back to Remus, still tucked in the shadow of the rock formation. “Go, I’ll find you.” 

“Fuck that-” Remus started, because he absolutely was not going to leave Janus behind, especially when he was running too low on magic to teleport out of there, but he didn’t get to say any of that, because a figure leaped over the edge of the rock outcropping and, even though it was dark, Remus would recognize Logan anywhere. 

Janus moved before Remus could stop him. An illusory copy split away from the real Janus, and they moved in opposite directions to flank Logan. Logan’s eyes darted between the two, and he took a guess at which was the real one, turning to hurl a bolt of blue lightning. His spell tore through the illusion, scattering it into glittering gold fragments. From behind him, the real Janus hurled a second energy ball. Logan turned just in time to throw up a shield spell; Janus’ attack clipped the edge of the magical shield and dissipated. 

In that same moment, there was movement in the shadows beside Remus. Remus turned sharply, and came face to face with… that teenager from the inn?

The kid flinched back a step, putting his hands up quickly. 

“Hey, we’re really not here to hurt you, I swear,” the kid said hastily. “My dad just wants to talk.”

Remus felt like his brain had short circuited. “Your _what?”_

Janus looked back toward him then and, seeing the kid there beside Remus, turned quickly, golden magic gathering at his fingertips. But then, he stopped abruptly, his eyes on the teen, who was staring back with wide eyes. Janus’ magic evaporated- it almost seemed like he was frozen to the spot. 

Then, in a small, choked voice, Janus said, “N-no, you. You _died.”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fight scenes are hard, but I could honestly write Remus and Janus back and forth dialogue forever. 
> 
> This entire chapter is basically an exercise in foreshadowing. 
> 
> Thanks for reading! Come find me on tumblr at @threecrowsinatrenchcoat.


End file.
